Mountain Hardwear Compulsion OutDry Review

The Good

Waterproof

Durable

Good grip on poles

The Bad

Difficult to get on and off

Sized too small

Tight fit decreases comfort and dexterity

THE VERDICT

The Compulsion OutDry Gloves might have scored higher in our test if they were sized appropriately. The XL size we tested were significantly too small which made the gloves uncomfortable and decreased their dexterity. The gloves did not keep our hands warm during the ice bucket challenge or on the mountain when temperatures hovered close to freezing, but they did prevent any water from leaking into the glove for the entire duration of the ice bucket challenge.

FULL REVIEW

WarmthThe Compulsion OutDry gloves feature 200g/m2 of Thermal.Q Elite insulation with a thick fleece lining. It’s difficult to know if this combination might have provided adequate warmth if the gloves fit properly, but as it was, the gloves didn’t prevent our hands from getting uncomfortably cold even when the temperature on the mountain was above freezing. The gloves did seem to be as waterproof as their name implies.

Grip The Compulsion OutDry gloves have an added layer of goatskin leather that stretches across the entire palm of the glove and up the first two fingers and thumb. This patch, along with the soft leather, provide for a good grip on ski poles.

Dexterity The fingers on the Compulsion OutDry gloves are padded with insulation and the fleece lining which detracts from their dexterity without necessarily increasing their warmth. The gloves have a pre-curved shape and feature articulated fingers, which helps improve the dexterity, but the improper size of the glove seemed to negate these improvements and left the gloves feeling awkward and cumbersome.

Durability The Compulsion OutDry gloves are made almost entirely of goat skin leather and feature an extra layer of leather on the palm and padding on the back of the hand, giving them a solid feel that stood up to a season of use without showing any signs of wear.

Comfort The fleece lining in the Compulsion OutDry gloves is thick and soft against the skin but that did little to improve the comfort of the gloves that are extremely difficult to get on and off even with the Velcro wrist strap. Once on, the gloves felt cramped and constricting.

Features & DesignThe Compulsion OutDry gloves have a simplistic design that many skiers will appreciate, however, the lack of any additional features made it difficult to overlook the design flaw that created the sizing issue for the gloves. The waterproofing technology, however, did serve as a pretty significant redeeming quality of the design.

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WHERE TO BUY

MSRP

$160.00

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HOW WE TESTED

Although they are often not given much thought, ski gloves are one of the most important tools in a skier’s arsenal. To give readers a better appreciation of how gloves perform in different conditions, we tested these gloves in every possible real-world skiing condition we could – from blue-bird days on the resort to cold, wet, blizzardy conditions that keep most sane skiers home. Because warmth and waterproof are such critical elements, we also subjected each of the gloves to an ice-bucket challenge where the gloves were worn for 30 minutes while submerged in a bucket of icy water.

Christopher Cogley is a freelance writer who spends as much time as possible biking, hiking, camping, and exploring the outdoor playground of Western Colorado where he lives with his wife and two boys.